The number of children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis in England has reached unprecedented levels, according to analysis of NHS data by the charity YoungMinds. Urgent referrals for under-18s to mental health crisis teams exceeded 3,500 in May – three times higher than the same month in 2019. In the year to March 2023, there were 21,555 such referrals, a 46% increase on the previous year.
These figures represent the most acute cases, involving psychosis, severe self-harm or suicide attempts. Alongside crisis referrals, the number of young people undergoing treatment or waiting to start care also hit a record high, with 466,250 open referrals to children and young people’s mental health services (CAMHS) in May.
Laura Bunt, chief executive of YoungMinds, described the data as “indicative of a system that is broken” and called for urgent government action. “We are now in a mental health emergency,” she said. “Many young people are having to wait months and years to access help, while others are told they don’t meet the threshold for a referral.”
The Liberal Democrat education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, said it was “shameful” that thousands of children in need were struggling to access services. Dr Elaine Lockhart of the Royal College of Psychiatrists warned of a “devastating impact” on young people’s wellbeing, citing a lack of staff and resources leading to long waiting lists. The children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, stressed the need for early support and timely care.
The government’s interim report on its major conditions strategy, which replaces the planned long-term mental health plan, has been criticised for failing to address the crisis. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson pointed to record investment, including an extra £2.3 billion a year for mental health services by March 2024 and plans to extend mental health support teams to 50% of pupils by March 2025.
